For several years Monument Lodge has been an active participant in the Grand Lodge Community Betterment program, wherein Grand Lodge will match up to $500 for pre-approved lodge projects. All of our proposals have been approved.

Last year we sponsored three men’s health suppers and speakers which we opened to all men in the community. We also hosted three symposiums on peace which were open to the public. This did much to raise our visibility in the community.

Projects under consideration for 2008 are sponsoring a public speakers’ contest at the Houlton High School which could be open to students from all southern Aroostook schools. As rhetoric is one of the seven liberal arts and something we stress for our officers and to a less degree with candidate’s proficiency lessons, it would seem that it could be a natural for us. It has been decades since such a program was available for our youth. It is believed that such a program would favorably present Monument Lodge to the community and bring parents and families out to a Masonic sponsored event.

A second project which could also be done would be to host an evening of classical music written by famous Masons such as Mozart, Hayden, Sibelius, etc. This could be done as a fund raiser with net proceeds going to support the new performing arts center which is to be added onto the high school complex. Such an undertaking should reflect very well on the lodge and help a very worthwhile community project.

A very simple and cheap project could be to lead the effort to get the area around Monument No. 1 in Amity, from which we take out lodge name, cleaned up. A beaver dam needs to be removed just south of it. At this time you cannot get within 100 feet of it because of the backed-up water. In 1977 we held a lodge meeting there and the master stood with his back against the west (American) side of the monument. Once the dam is removed and the ground dried up again, we could do a cleanup of the area and promote the history of the spot and of our relationship to it.

We will be considering these ideas and any others you brethren wish to make at our next stated meeting. Please send in your thoughts and comments if you will not be able to attend. If you have other suggestions, please send those in also.

If we wish to make Monument Lodge the best respected organization and the one that younger men will want to join, we need to be proactive in the community in ways which will be consistent with our basic calling. Excellence will beget excellence. We need to pursue it diligently.